Why are diplomats reluctant tweeters?

The reason diplomats are usually reluctant to use Twitter can be found in the saying that “Diplomats think twice before saying nothing”. They are even more cautious when it comes to writing. Tweets are just the opposite. They are an immediate reaction: they are result of the moment.The usual criticism is that tweets are not well thought out.

A recent article in the New York Times argues that tweets could be useful when put together as a record of a particular event and time: “When you look at it tweet by tweet, it looks like junk. But it could be really valuable if looked through collectively”. As an illustration of the difference between one single tweet and a collection of tweets, you can see Ginger Paque’s twitter report from the previous e-diplomacy launch meetings.